9th May, 2005 - Goss International CEO, Bob Brown, delivered the supplier keynote address at the Web Offset Association Annual Conference, encouraging members to work together to attract an increasing share of advertising spending to the web offset process. Nearly 700 leading American web printing executives and supplier representatives attended the 53rd annual conference in Grapevine, Texas from May 1st-4th. "This is a fascinating, technology based industry that moves at a fast pace, and we need to sell that story," Brown told the audience. He called for an aggressive effort to continuously develop and promote the advantages of web offset printing. "We all know what drives our business, it''s advertising," he explained. "Instead of focusing on defending against displacement by other media forms, we need an agenda that leverages our accomplishments to do some displacing of our own." Brown discussed competitive challenges and strengths of various communications sectors and contended that web offset is in a position to push hard in all directions to capture additional advertising market share from other print and electronic media. He vigorously dismissed the label "traditional iron", citing recent and upcoming advances in productivity, automation and digital connectivity that he claimed are converging to create revolutionary new opportunities for web offset. "We have not reached a technological plateau, but a new threshold of opportunity," Brown explained. He also questioned the definition of digital printing, claiming web offset has proven as adept - or more adept - than any other process at exploiting digital technology for automating, presetting, imaging and personalizing products. Brown encouraged web offset suppliers and printers to work towards a vision of non-stop, lights-out production in the pressroom and bindery and said that each step along the continuum towards that vision will make web offset a more compelling choice for advertisers and publishers. He emphasized that innovation must extend beyond equipment to include innovative ideas about human resources, promotion, regulatory and environmental matters and any other issue impacting what he referred to as the brand of web offset. "Let''s collectively create an offensive-minded agenda," Brown concluded. "Instead of talking about the viability of printing, let''s shout about the vitality of web offset printing."